Pay no attention to the people behind the curtain

Monday, December 17, 2007

Walker On Privatization

by capper

After writing my previous post about the privatization of the Milwaukee County child welfare system and what a disaster it turned out to be, I wondered what County Executive Scott Walker's position on privatization was (as if I didn't already know).

Well, the answer is: It depends on when you ask him. In 2002, when he was first elected to his current position, Walker had this to say:

Meanwhile, he has repeatedly said he will not look to turning large chunks of county government over to the private sector. Nevertheless, he can expect battles from the county's labor unions, most of which backed his opponents - first Milwaukee Ald. Tom Nardelli, then Ryan.

We've got to get even more aggressive at being innovative," he said. He wants more consideration of privatization or contracting with other governmental units to provide services more efficiently, Walker said.

Maybe if he kept his word once in a while, and would display some leadership instead of pandering to his base, he wouldn't need to worry so much about poll numbers. But then again, his poor leadership is what is making Senator Lena Taylor look even better for Milwaukee County.